Pregnant mother, 22, fatally struck in Englewood; police question driver

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Police are questioning the driver involved in a deadly accident on Chicago's South Side. Jazzalyn Fontanez, who was five months pregnant, was crossing the street when she was struck and killed.

Surveillance video from a nearby business shows the 22-year-old heading to a laundromat she frequented near West 61st and South Halsted streets in the city's Englewood neighborhood around 1:45 p.m. Thursday.

Although police said she was not in the crosswalk when she was struck, the video shows she was in the crosswalk at the time of impact. Her shoes were knocked off her feet and her clothes strewn across Halsted. Fontanez was dragged at least two blocks before falling off the car.

The video shows the 69-year-old driver kept going. He eventually stopped near West 53rd Street and South Union Avenue, where he was taken into custody. The driver told police he knew he hit the victim, but didn't stop right away because he didn't feel safe in the area.

Montavais Thomas was working at the laundromat when the crash happened and ran to her aid.

"It's just a shame though. I just don't understand how he could not see her," Thomas said. "How could you not see someone in the middle of the street?"

Fontanez was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Fontanez, of the 1700-block of North Campbell Avenue, was pronounced dead just before 7 p.m. Thursday.

Family members said the young mother leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter.

"Sad. It's just unbelievable that someone can hit someone and not stop for half a mile down the street not realizing that he just hit someone. And the girl was pregnant. I lost my niece and my great niece at the same time," said Angel Velez, the victim's uncle.

"It's a hard feeling thing, when love is gone, it hurts," said Barbara Smith Robinson, a neighborhood resident.

The driver is cooperating with police. No charges have been filed.

Jazzalyn Fontanez, 22.